


Assuage

by ArturoSavinni



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 17:23:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10541082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArturoSavinni/pseuds/ArturoSavinni
Summary: Dick's told Tim to sleep. Tim tries.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It was interesting writing these two again...

Tim awoke with a gasp, clutching at his chest. He can feel the trembles overtaking his body. His room is a blur, making him blink until he realises he’s crying. He quickly scrubs away the tears with his hand, irritating the rims of his eyes in the process. 

It’s been awhile since he’s had nightmare. Of course it’s not necessarily because things have been going particularly well lately. No, he just hasn’t been sleeping for hours at a time for the past couple of weeks, or maybe it’s been months. He can’t really remember anymore. He was only sleeping now because Dick had hauled him up to his room, firm in his stance that Tim was not to leave the bed until he’d had at least four hours of sleep. Tim had argued at first but his own exhaustion had him lose steam fairly quickly and he gave in.

Tim reaches for his phone, checking the time. He’s only slept for two hours. He sighs, pulling off his covers and climbs out of bed. There’s no way he can fall back asleep after the dream he just had. He closes his eyes, trying take a calming breath. It’s shuddery at best. He wraps his arms around himself, padding his way downstairs. 

For a small moment he considers going down into his bunker. He worries at his bottom lip, eyeing the elevator shaft. With great trepidation he turns away, heading for the large armchair by his window instead. He can spot the beginnings of sunrise through his blinds, though Gotham as a whole remains dark as ever, leaving his room blanketed in the same darkness. Tim rests his head against the chair. He closes his eyes. The remnants of his dream swim back into focus. He tries to shake them away but they remain, just as vivid, tormenting him just the same.

Tim curls in on himself, hiding his face in his knees. It’s useless. His failure is a constant presence, clawing at his back, reminding him that he didn’t do enough, that he wasn’t enough. Maybe some of his losses returned, filling the void, but not all them, not the one that was truly his fault. Now, because he wasn’t fast enough, another kid has to experience the same pain he did all those years ago. They had to watch their parents perish before their eyes, just as Tim did

Lost to his thoughts, he doesn’t hear someone unlock and open his door. He doesn’t hear them approach either. “Hey, why aren’t you in bed,” Dick says. “I’m pretty sure I gave you a firm order,” he continues, his voice lilting with unbidden amusement. It quickly trails off when Tim doesn’t so much as twitch. “Hey, Tim, you okay?” Dick grasps Tim’s shoulder. “Okay, stupid question.” Dick’s begun to ramble. 

Tim hasn’t bothered to look at him, hoping that if he ignores him he’ll go away. It’s a fruitless endeavour, he knows it is, but he does it anyway. He can feel Dick shifting around, then warm hands run along his legs. “Come on Tim, talk to me.” He grabs Tim’s hand. “Please.”

Tim shakes his head. Dick sighs, standing up. For a moment Tim thinks he’s going to leave, drawing him into a panic and he lifts his head, betraying his tear stained face. “Oh Timmy,” Dick says, voice sad and pitying. “Okay,” Dick reaches out, his thumb brushing away a stray tear. “Here,” he says, shifting Tim around until he can sit on the sofa too. The shaky breaths return as Dick wraps his arms around Tim. “It’s okay Tim, it’s okay.”

He presses kisses to the top of Tim’s head, lips brushing against hair. He tilts Tim’s head, leaning in to kiss along the tear tracks, murmuring quietly, running his hands soothingly along Tim’s back, through his hair. “You’re okay, everything’s gonna be okay, I’m here,” Dick whispers, doing his best to kiss away all the pain. Tim closes his eyes and buries his head against Dick’s chest, clutching tightly onto him. “That’s it,” Dick says, resting his chin over the top of Tim’s head. 

Tim doesn’t know how long they remain like this, how long he holds onto Dick as though he’s Tim’s last line of defence. But even if the sun has fully risen, he’s not ready to let go and Dick, he holds on, tight and grounding, never wavering, the same solid comfort that he’s always been.


End file.
